Prediction: Manchester City vs Chelsea

Premier League holders Manchester City will be under pressure when they face league leaders Chelsea on Sunday afternoon, with the Blues already five points in front in the league standings. And with Jose Mourinho’s side enjoying a 1-0 triumph in the same fixture last season, the Citizens will have their work cut out for them.

While they were soundly beaten by Arsenal in the Community Shield match, Manchester City enjoyed a bright start to the new Premiership campaign, with comfortable wins over Newcastle and Liverpool enough to suggest they will not relinquish the title without a fight. However, the Citizens have since suffered a serious dip in form that saw them lose to Stoke City and Bayern Munich, while sharing spoils with Arsenal at the Emirates. The reality is that City are not playing to their potential at the moment, and the poor form of star midfielder Yaya Toure appears to be the main reason. The Ivorian has struggled for form since returning from the World Cup in Brazil and he definitely does not look like the player who almost single-handedly won his side the league trophy by scoring magnificent 20 goals from midfield. And with Edin Dzeko also not at his best and Stevan Jovetic sidelined through injury, Manchester City could find it hard to match red-hot Chelsea at the Etihad. The Citizens may have conceded a late goal to lose to Bayern Munich in midweek, but having been completely outclassed by their more illustrious opponents, Manuel Pellegrini’s charges will have to show a considerable improvement if they want to get something from this game.

Chelsea are out to end a five-year wait for the Premier League title this season and many believe the Blues will succeed in their quest. For the first time after quite a while, the club have made just the right signings, with Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas making all the difference this season. However, the most important thing is that the team possess a perfect balance between defence and attack and they do look like main candidates for the league trophy. The Blues already boast a five-point advantage over the nearest title rivals, courtesy of four comfortable wins in as many matches, and the 15 goals scored in the process are enough to suggest the team are much more lethal up front than last term. Summer recruit Diego Costa has been in stunning form so far and after bagging 7 goals in 4 matches, he is 13/10 to extend his scoring run at the Etihad. Chelsea did suffer the first setback of the season, having failed to defeat Schalke in their opening Champions League fixture, but that is hardly a cause for concern seeing as how the Blues will have more than enough chances to secure progress into the next stage. Jose Mourinho has no injury worries and he is set to recall Costa, Schurrle, Oscar and Azpilicueta to the side.

Conclusion

Manchester City appear to be going through a very rough patch at the moment and with Yaya Toure far from the desired form, I seriously doubt they can beat red-hot Chelsea. The Blues are on top of their game at the moment and having won on their previous visit to Etihad, they can be trusted to get at least one point this time out.

Verdict: Chelsea Draw No Bet

Best Odds: 11/10

Bookmaker: bet365